Forum birdwatching 2009

[Kestrel]

Seen on May 6 in the Colorado foothills:

Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus
Broad-tailed Hummingbird Selasphorus platycercus

 

[davefoc]

Here's a link that Tricky might find interesting about his yellow house finch:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/HoufinColorVariants.htm

Apparently the color variation in house finches has more to do with what they eat than individual genetics.

I came across it because I was trying to figure out what this bird was:


I'm still not sure what it is. I have been seeing house finches in my backyard a lot and I thought I knew what they looked like. This didn't seem quite right. When I saw some of the images of Cassin's finches I thought it might be that.

The same site had a nice article about distinguishing between three types of finches:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/finchIDtable.html

But in the end, for me at least, I wasn't sure what the bird was.

 

[I Ratant]

I see these "drab little birds" sometimes together and sometimes seperately.
Not quite as noisy as those dod-rotted English Sparrows.

 

[Kestrel]

Spotted on May 7 near Boulder, Colorado:

Snowy Egret Egretta thula
Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
American Avocet Recurvirostra americana
Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
Bank Swallow (aka Sand Martin) Riparia riparia

 

[I Ratant]

Three aspects of what is most likely an Anna's... this l'il guy was pretty obviously catching insects.. he'd zip away and come back to the same spike on the Joshua Tree. There were no flowers within zip distance. Usually they zip away and never come back.

 

[Kestrel]

Spotted on May 8 near Fort Collins, Colorado:

Osprey Pandion haliaetus

On May 9, near Fort Collins, Colorado:

American Widgeon Anas americana
Blue-winged Teal Anas discors
Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri
Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula
Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia
Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater


The most interesting bird seen today was this leucistic American Robin Turdus migratorius:

 

[Springfork]

I live in a rural area of Central Illinois, a mile from a Corps of Engineers lake. I just saw this thread yesterday and decided to do a Mother's Day bird count. (May 10, '09) My wife and I live on 6 acres and I only counted the birds I observed from my ground. I started at 6am and stayed out until 10am. I went out again for a short time in the afternoon and this is the list I made in the order I saw them.

Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
Amer. Robin Turdus migratorius
White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus
Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe
Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
Mourning Dove Zenaida asiatica
House Wren Troglodytes aedon
Black-capped Chickadee Parus atricapillus
Gray Catbird Dumetekka carolinensis
Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna
Northern Oriole Icterus galbula
Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia
Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica
Brown Thrasher Taxostoma rufum
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
American Goldfinch Carduelis tristis
Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
Green-backed Heron Butorides striatus

There are several other species that are very common here that, for some reason, I failed to see. I usually see a few ducks and geese and a few hawks, but none today. I didn't see a Blue Jay either, which surprised me. I heard Ring-necked Pheasants and Bobwhite Quail calling, but didn't see them. No Purple Martens yet either. The only one listed above that surprised me was the yellow warbler.

 

[bruto]

Not much new on the bird front, but I snapped this picture out the window next to my computer this morning. If I lean a little to the right when sitting here, this is what I see. The mourning doves seem to have completed their nest, and are taking turns sitting. The little wren house has wrens in it, and so does another one, just off the picture to the left.

 

[mummymonkey]

First swift of the summer for me today.
Also a nice pair of bulfinches and a green woodpecker.
Swift - Apus apus.
Green woodpecker - Picus viridis
Bullfinch - Pyrrhula pyrrhula

Perth, Scotland 11th May.

 

[sphenisc]

First swift of the summer for me today.

Perth, Scotland 11th May.

You've beaten me by an hour.

 

[Rolfe]

Damn, saw a swift last night, in Carlops village as we came out of choir practice. Didn't think to mention it!

Rolfe.

 

[Kestrel]

Seen on May 11, west of Denver, Colorado:

Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus
Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus



Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis
Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana



Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana



Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
Bullock's Oriole Icterus bullockii

 

[manofthesea]

Getting photos of native honeycreepers here on Oahu is a tough prospect. Here's a couple of mating 'apapane Himatione sanguinea. Taken 5/10/09 in a montane bog.

 

[Rolfe]

You've beaten me by an hour.

Atcherly, our PM room technician has just pointed out to me that the family of swifts which nests every year in the anteroom to the PM room has been back for over 10 days. They're building a new nest this year, at the other end of the beam which hosted the old one.

He has a great pic from a couple of years ago of the mother bird coming in to feed a line of fledgelings on the wing. If he emails it to me as he promised, I'll post it.

I have another pic to post tonight if I can find the right USB lead.

Rolfe.

 

[mummymonkey]

You've beaten me by an hour.

And today there are dozens. Magical.

 

[Rolfe]

Does what it says on the tin.

I bought the goldfinch bait. I put the feeder up.

Less than an hour later....

And they're still at it. Them and a couple of siskins. They've eaten more than half the contents in 48 hours.

This is an expensive hobby.

Rolfe.

 

[Rolfe]

It's not just goldfinches. I think this shot also shows Mr. and Mrs. Siskin and one of the ubiquitous coal tits.

Am I right about the siskins?

Here are a couple of closeups.

Rolfe.

 

[beachnut]

Have not identified; need to find our book.

Location 95946 1200 feet 11 May 2009

An oriole?

 

[Rolfe]

Oooh, shiny!

Rolfe.

 

[Kestrel]

Have not identified; need to find our book.
[qimg]http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/tjkb/Bird1.jpg[/qimg]
Location 95946 1200 feet 11 May 2009
[qimg]http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/tjkb/Bird2.jpg[/qimg]
An oriole?

From the large white patch on the wings, I would say it's a Bullock's Oriole Icterus bullockii.